Oct. 23, 2008
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Georgia Tech defensive tackle Darryl Richard has been chosen as a finalist for the inaugural Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award in football announced today. A nationwide balloting process has now been launched to determine the 2008 recipient for the honor that combines on-field and off-field achievements for NCAA Division I football seniors in the Bowl Subdivision.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages those leaders to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact on their circle of influence. This prestigious awards program was launched during the 2001-02 basketball season. Lowe’s, an Official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, added six sports in 2007 and expanded the award again this year to include NCAA football.
The 2008 finalists for the NCAA football division include: tight end Travis Beckum (University of Wisconsin – Madison), offensive lineman Jeff Byers (University of Southern California), quarterback Chase Clement (Rice University), linebacker Maurice Crum, Jr. (University of Notre Dame), quarterback Chase Daniel (University of Missouri – Columbia), linebacker James Laurinaitis (The Ohio State University), center Alex Mack (University of California – Berkeley), Richard, punter/kicker Louie Sakoda (University of Utah), and kicker Austin Starr (Indiana University).
These 10 senior student-athletes will be placed on the official ballot for a nationwide vote beginning today and concluding December 10th. Votes from coaches and media will be coupled with fan balloting to determine the recipient of the award. Fans can vote online during this time period at www.seniorclassaward.com.
For the first time in the award’s history, text voting will also be available starting Saturday, October 25th. To vote via text, fans will send the text code (FB8 for Richard) corresponding with the student-athlete of their choice to 839863. The overall winner of the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award for football will be announced during a 2008-09 post-season college football event.
“Lowe’s is privileged to highlight the achievements of student-athletes who are consistently making a positive impact while playing a high-profile collegiate sport,” said Tom Lamb, Lowe’s vice president of marketing. “The inaugural football class of finalists is filled with tremendous stories of community and classroom success that match their on-field talents. These 10 men truly deserve national recognition.”
Finalists were selected from a list of 30 candidates based on personal qualities that define a complete student-athlete. Each finalist displays numerous accomplishments across all four award pillars: classroom, community, character, and competition.
